Crimson Shadows
by AuroraLamia
Summary: Running, I had been running from someone or something, I don't know who I am, I don't even know my favourite colour, Eric has taken subtle interest in my hidden memories and Bill's looking after me, not to mention Pam's taking a different interest in me.
1. Chapter One: Neutral Grey

Crimson Shadows

Chapter One: Neutral Grey

Song Inspiration: This is New Shit – Marilyn Manson

-

Run. That was the only thought in my head as I sped through the forest, shifting quickly between the tall, thick trees, _run_. I don't know what I'm running from, I just know that I need to run- fast and far away from whatever had been there. I didn't know exactly where _there_ was except that it was behind me, far behind but not far enough.

The trees were a blur of browns, greens and gold. I could smell death, the reek of an animal's corpse and the hunt, blood was on the ground, but it was a rabbits it was human. I had heard the predator only briefly before I smelt the blood. But the scent of grey death didn't stop me from running- it barely flashed through my mind.

I couldn't stop- not until I was safely away. From the thing… the…

I was hungry, for something, and the rabbit's blood, even though it was far away now, had smelt good, not what I wanted, but it may have helped. I stopped suddenly. I smelt something now - it was… _human_. I liked humans, but not for food, at least, not like how I was craving to at the moment. I needed…something.

Some part of me remembered something. There was another blood I could use, that was just as good, that-

I jumped into the tree. And waited. The forest was silent. In my mouth I felt fangs, but they shouldn't be there – I didn't always have them… am I a-

I was human. But now I'm not.

Silence. There were many thoughts in my head, rushing around like wasps, hornets. They were all so confusing and I couldn't pull a thought out from another, but they were mine- only ever had been mine. Something cold went down my spine and I froze. My ears listening, but I heard nothing. But I couldn't trust that, someone was here someone-

I jumped back down and began running again. There was a noise; a loud _crack_ and I felt my body hit the ground. "Who are you?" A voice hissed in my ear, and my body relaxed. Blood calling to blood, he was like me.

"I don't know." I said and he, the attacker, pushed my head deeper into the ground and I cried out again, "I don't know!" And he stopped.

"You smell new." He said sniffing me, "what's the last thing you remember?"

"Running." I could smell the sweet scent of damp earth. Had it been raining? I don't remember, I can't remember anything I… my head hurt, it hurt so much, but not as much as my arm, that hurt like someone had torn it apart.

"Before that, what do you remember before that?" I closed my eyes and tried to remember, what had I been doing before I was running? My eyes squeezed tighter and my heart felt like liquid flames and I began screaming as I pulled my arms up to my head. He got off of me; I could sense that he was worried; I could _smell_ the scent of confusion that was like grease and salt.

But I couldn't concentrate any further; as my head began to hurt more- like it was burning up. It was hot like blue flames and it was moving around and making me feel nauseous and dizzy like a bushfire. There was a brief flash of green that passed through my mind before the pain intensified greatly.

Then there was nothing but sweet abyss.

-

"Yes I see that, but what has she got to do with us?" The voice sounded like a dark grey Prison wall. It was bored and sarcastic, but strong and powerful, and _very_ masculine. My eyes hurt too much to open, so I just listened as I tried to show that I was awake, but I couldn't, I was tired and hungry. So _very_ hungry.

"Her arm." Dully I felt my body been turn and someone lift up my arm. "You see?"

"I do." The voice wasn't bored, it was interested and… worried, no not worried, it was something else, it was… thinking. Disbelieving maybe?

"Is she a sign for us?" A new voice came in, neutral but sardonic it wasn't grey, it was eggshell, protective, curious, and… something else. But it was feminie, and like a cats. Careful in her words, choosing only what was necessary – at least that's what I could tell. "She's awake." The voice murmured closer to me. "But she'll need to feed."

"Where _did_ you find her Bill?"

"Around Sookie's house, I caught her scent on my way over, I thought she had been after her, now I think otherwise." Something slid under my neck and lifted me up. My eyes compressed tighter closed at the movement and I felt a crease in my forehead from the muscle movement of pain.

Something cold and hard slid between my lips, a bottle of something – it smelt like food… but not right. The thick, heated substance slipped between my lips and down my throat and though it didn't taste right, it felt_ right_. As I drank I felt my body begin to heal. My hands unconsciously grabbed as I finished the bottle and I was finally able to open my eyes.

I flinched as the colours attacked my eyes. Reds, blacks and whites screamed to be seen and I closed my eyes again, and took a brief moment before I opened them again. My eyes adjusted quickly and I felt my mind begin to register what was happening around me.

"Are you still hungry?" My eyes flickered at the sound of a masculine voice. The question hadn't been said with care or kindness, just a question that was asked and nothing more.

"Yes." I said, my voice came out wrong, it sounded ravenous, it sounded raw, and I didn't like it.

Another bottle was handed to me, and I read the label _Tru blood_ _O negative_. I drank it slower this time, letting it slowly heal and fill up the void in my stomach. When finished I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and sat up further, this time _really_ taking a look around.

I was in a room, on a couch; there was a desk near me and there were three people standing in front of me. The walls were red and black and there were no windows. I think I was in a bar, or an expensive hotel or something on the lines, because the colouring was all-wrong for a home or a professional business office.

"Do you know your name?" A tall, blonde, powerful vampire said, as he looked closer at my child-like curiosity. I could tell he was old by his eyes and I could almost feel the power raging off of him. Dressed in leather he looked deadly. But he was like me, a vampire. I was a vampire?

"It's…" I paused to think, my name started with a… E, and it was something Christian- I think it was Angeline… no, "Evangeline, but- ah- I think people call me Eve." I frowned as I got a headache from trying to recall anything else I could- my name had been a big thing alone, "It hurts… to remember." I said as my hand grasped my head.

"This is a witch's work," The also blonde, _female_, vampire said as she turned to face the other vampire's in the room, "but why a witch would inline herself with-" But she was cut off by the previous vampire.

"Pam." The woman stopped talking immediately after the words left his mouth, "You forget your place." There was silence in the room leaving a soft echo of tension that I longed to cut. My eyes darted to the other male vampire that was taller then the female- Pam she was called- and the taller one whose name had yet to be said. I swallowed before speaking once more with a question that rested heavily on my mind.

"Where am I?"

"Shreveport." Pam replied, "Welcome." Her voice drawled out the word welcome like I had just knocked on her front door, but with sarcasm layered over the word of course, there was no way you could say welcome in that context without a heavy amount of sarcasm.

The word Shreveport clouded my mind; I couldn't pull any information from it, yet it seemed familiar. I went silent as I pulled my body closer to myself. I felt the material of the dress I wore, but when I looked down on it, it was as unfamiliar as the room.

"You're previous clothes were disgusting, so I lent you something of mine." Pam said slowly, as her eyes looked into mine carefully. Her southern accent seemed to form the language to say something else- though I didn't grasp what, until just moments after I spoke again.

"Thank you." I whispered, honestly meaning the words.

"It was no problem." The way she spoke those words caused me to look away. But I flickered my eyes back in time to see her smirk. "Eric, is there anything else you have to ask?" Pam was now looking at the blond, Viking vampire.

"No, it's obvious that a witch has gotten to her." He sighed, "But now the matter to discuss is what to do with her until the charm wears off." His eyes switched to the only unnamed vampire in the room.

"You are not leaving her with me." He said, "I already have Jessica."

"How about this arrangement then, you look after her and Pam will take her one a week." Pam's eyes flickered to Eric, and they spoke quickly in Swedish. I caught three words, 'the' 'she' 'and' they were completely useless for what I needed so I gave up and instead leant back and relaxed as I watched. They were obviously talking about myself. "Change of plans, Pam will take her for a week per month, she'll choose the dates and times."

Both the opposing vampire and myself nodded at this. It was acceptable – at least that's what it seemed to be.

"Evangeline, Bill will teach you everything that he can as he is with his current fledging _Jessica_." I assumed Bill was the opposing vampire to Eric, and that Jessica was not all that pleasant- the way he said her name seemed to be filled with distaste. "He is in charge, what he says goes, the same goes for when Pam takes his place." He looked at me carefully, "Cause any trouble and neither will hesitate to kill you."

I nodded at him and waited for someone to say or do something. I had no questions left- nor did I have any reason to be standing in this silence, confused. I knew why they were keeping me around – somewhere in my memory, I knew something about someone important and they wanted to keep a close eye on me so that when I did remember I wouldn't be able to escape.

They would keep me close and eventually I would get hurt.

A brief flash of warmth, a warm embrace from my mother, flashed through my mind. I can almost hear her voice and her vanilla perfume. But I can't remember what she would say. There was something that she would always say in a moment like this, when I felt so lost, so confused and hurt.

I didn't understand and I was scared.

"Evangeline." I looked up at the harsh mouth that spoke the word so cruelly. Bill was no patient with me, though he had no reason to be either, I had done nothing to sway his mind to think that I could be a good person- vampire. But I was still ticked at the fact that he spoke my name like that, like I had caused him great pains.

"Thank you." I said, looking at the two blond vampires, "I'll…" I trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence, "be seeing you around." I wanted to say something else, something that wasn't so informal, but my clouded mind couldn't pull a stray thought from another. A tangle of thought all knotted together. They didn't nod or blink; they just gave a small twitch of their lips as I followed Bill.

-

I swallowed the last of the tru blood as I sat on the couch, my legs up close to me. I had just met Jessica, and I was – to say – surprised at how she acted. Would she always be like that? Bill said she wouldn't, but I still wasn't sure.

I sighed as I placed the bottle into the recycling before I flicked the television on. I hoped there was something on to watch. _Buffy_ the _Vampire Slayer_ reruns? Why the hell not. I relaxed into the couch and watched. Bill had gone to Sookie's house, and Jessica had stormed off somewhere, I believe I offended her somehow but I didn't quite grasp how I did.

Maybe it was how I looked at what she was wearing, why would you need to look like _that_ suddenly when you turned into a vampire? I don't know, but what I do know is that I'll keep wearing my skirts and dresses – except maybe the few occasions where I might wear black – regardless, I wouldn't dress like that all the time, and I probably wouldn't dress _that_ outrageous.

From what I had gathered when Bill left, Sookie was his girlfriend; though for all I know it could be something more. I wasn't sure if she was a vampire or not, but the way he spoke made me know for sure that he loved her with all his heart. At least I knew I was still capable of love and that alone was a sort of comfort to me.

There was a blur, and the front door opened before been slammed shut. From the fury of red, I assume that it was Jessica getting away from me as quick as she could.

I sighed again as I turned back to the television. I was bored, so very bored, and Buffy was just ridiculous now that I was a vampire. Sighing I began channel searching again, I flickered to a shopping channel and stopped. I didn't _like_ these types of shows, but maybe I could find out more about myself by watching.

They were showing jewellery, and I knew immediately that I only liked simple things, but I _had_ been a fan of silver. Now I can't even touch it, let alone wear it. With a sigh I switched the television off and walked around the house. I had an eternity of boredom to look up and forward to.

There was an hour – at least – until dawn. I bit my lip; I'd never see dawn again, never again. It took everything I had so as not to cry.

That numb, empty feeling filled up my being and I hugged myself in act of desperation for comfort. I had no one. No one to hold me, no one to look after me, no one to tell me everything was going to be all right. It may seem weak or petty, but they were the things that I craved for the most at the moment. Comfort. And my mummy.

**Authors Note:** **yeah, Evangeline isn't strong or brave; at the moment she's in shock and is very, very lonely. ******** So I hope that explains why the last paragraph is **_**very**_** important to her character. Anyway, just wanted to say that I'm re-reading the Southern Vampire Mystery series and I just finished Season Two of True Blood (streaming is **_**awesome**_**) but this is set around book one/season one. So no Maenad/Maryanne Forrester… yet**

**Thanks for reading, review or pm me if you have any questions or queries :P **


	2. Chapter Two: Soft OffWhite

Crimson Shadows

Chapter Two: Soft off-white

Song Inspiration: In the Shadows – The Rasmus

-

Evangeline May Jones. When I had woken up after the sun had completely set, I knew immediately what my full name was now, and I was happy to know that. Evangeline May Jones, I could probably find documentation of me now, there couldn't be _that_ many people with the same name as me, could there.

But that was all I knew about myself. There was nothing else, not a hint, a colour or even a slice of anything else about me. I _still_ don't know my favourite colour and I've looked at a lot of colours to try and find out. There have been a fair few that I thought were quite pretty, but there was nothing that I'd wear, or paint a room as, or have a car the same colour as. It had been two weeks since the incident and I still had no idea of who I was, except a name.

Bill was teaching me self-control though. He had told me that an old, but not ancient, vampire had made me so I was more likely to be able to control myself better then some other vampire's, but it all depended on what I had been like as a human as well. Did I ever binge on anything? I don't know, I had tried to remember, but the headache had come back when I tried to force myself.

And I didn't want to fall unconscious again, neither did Bill for that matter. He said I should just relax and it may come to me faster. Anything familiar that touches my senses are more likely to jolt a memory then trying to force myself, which might result in making my case worse.

Sookie was coming over tonight. Bill said that she wanted to meet me and he had been hesitant in allowing that, when I question if she'd met Jessica he replied with a grimace. I took that as a yes.

Jessica preferred not to talk to me, she just pretended I didn't exist and I tried not to get into her way, that way I didn't stir the pot and there was no trouble caused. Its been working so far.

I heard the sound of a car pulling up, and immediately knew that it was Sookie. I flattened out the cream dress I was wearing so I would look good. _First impressions are important Evangeline, always be your best when you're first meeting someone_. I blinked; they were my mother's words.

"Hello." I looked up and smiled at Sookie as I held out a hand to shake hers with, "I'm Sookie and you must be Evangeline."

"Yes, it's very nice to meet you." She nodded and I turned to Bill, who also nodded in approval. I had satisfied my bloodlust as much as I could with tru blood, prior to meeting Sookie, but she still smelt good. I remembered what Bill taught me, distract yourself but remain completely aware of how you feel. "So, ah, what's Bon Temps like?"

"Oh you'll love it, not much used to happen around here, but it's changed." She bit her lip, "Though not all for the good, there's been some murder's recently." I frowned, I don't know anything about the murders - at least - it felt like new information, unfamiliar territory and all that.

"Do you know who's doing it?" Sookie shook her head, and her blond hair bounced with the movements, "What about what type of people, is there anything that connects them?"

"They all had connections to vampires." I nodded and Sookie looked sad suddenly.

"Ah, so-" I was trying to think of how to change the topic when Bill saved me.

"Pam says she'll drop around later, she wants to see if I'm doing my job correctly _apparently_." Sookie raised an eyebrow at the last word that Bill said. "I believe Eric is sending to see if you've remembered anything that would be of interest to them." I nodded at the last part as I began to fiddle with the hem of the skirt.

"I love your hair colour." Sookie said, "It's such a beautiful shade of red."

"Thank you." I murmured, "You have such nice blond hair, its such a beautiful shape as well, it makes you look really nice." She thanked me for the compliment and after that, things relaxed a little before the front door was opened again, this time Pam stepped through archway, wearing black pants and heels with a crisp, soft off-white, blouse with sunglasses on top of her head to match. The latter confusing me – due to the fact that as a vampire, sunglasses were nothing to use – except maybe as an accessory.

"Bill," She drawled out slowly, with her deep – though incredibly feminie – voice. "I see you brought your human around." She was behind Sookie in a blink of an eye, "Is there any special reasons why she's here?" Bill opened his mouth to say something, but Sookie turned around to fact Pam, and interrupted before he could.

"I wanted to be here." She was trying to be cordial, but I could see she was a little annoyed at what Pam _hadn't_ said with her words. "Besides, I can be here if I want to, with or without your permission."

"Quite." Pam said, her eyes on Sookie and a small smile at the edge of her lips. Her voice had been playful, as if she knew something. I was watching her carefully when her eyes flickered to me. "You look as though you hadn't left the house since I last saw you, do tell me Bill that you've been teaching her to hunt."

"No, I haven't, I've been teaching her self-con-"

"Eric will not be pleased." She had an expression of laziness- as though honestly, she didn't care- but when I looked into her eyes, I saw intrigue and interest at the aspect of something. "You haven't lived until you've tasted human blood." She said as her eyes flickered to me before going back to Bill.

"Were you ever human?" Bill asked, wrath creeping up into his raw voice. "Because I've been having a lot of doubts."

"Well I do try." She smirked at Bill before turning back to me, "I'd love to stay here, but I must be off, are you coming with me little girl?" I swallowed, and nodded. Pam got me for the week, it had been decided, though now I was worried. She looked as if she could kill me if she so decided. I bet she would if I gave her enough reason to.

She grabbed my wrist, and with a single worded departure, we left.

-

Fangtasia. The vampire bar. Somewhere in the back of my mind, hidden beneath a cloak of darkness, a tiny, almost unheard bell rang. Have I been here? I shook my head and tugged at the outfit that Pam had given me. Floor length, black, lace, clingy material, chocker, and a crucifix tied on a red ribbon- that apparently matched my hair colour- that was under my bust.

"I hate this dress." I said as I watched under heavily hooded eyes, Pam card the humans.

"Yes, but _they_ eat it up like candy." I frowned. She said 'they' as if it meant nothing much to her. They probably didn't, they were her food source, as they were mine now. "Why don't you go play with some of them." It was spoken as a command, not a question.

"I'd prefer not to." My voice came out meeker then I wished it to, "I don't like tourists." She raised an eyebrow at the comment before returning back to the humans.

I didn't make a noise as I watched, and eventually the crowd thinned out, less and less people were coming as it came near to the time of closing. But even though there were less people coming in, there seemed to be fewer willing to leave.

"What do you do when it comes time for closing?" Pam turned to me, and said one word.

"Leave." I bit my bottom lip and looked away, I could tell she was tiring of my hovering around behind her, so I left in that instant to somewhere to sit that was in the shadows. It was strange, and quite ironic, that just moments before I had said that I didn't want to leave, but I'd rather leave then piss Pam off. Pissing Pam off sounded like a good way to be truly dead.

So I hovered in the corner of the room. Far away from most people as I relaxed and watched everyone.

At some point, I had zoned out and just decided to see if I could work out something else about myself. Did I like animals? Are Kittens cute to me? Do I have any siblings? But someone snapped me out of it as they came into my personal space, smelling human. There blood pounded in their veins, and like waving meat in front of a hungry tiger, I felt the world slow down, and nothing existed except the human and myself.

"Want the real stuff?" He purred to me. The correct answer was no, the correct answer was that I wasn't allowed to drink from a human in Fangtasia, I had to go elsewhere, and Bill only wanted me on a diet of Tru Blood. My fangs dropped down, and my body, without my mind's knowledge, lent in closer to the deliciously smelling human. I had a hand on his shoulder and his waist as I pulled my head back a bit so that I would have a better lunge into his neck.

But before anything happened, the human disappeared and I was left looking at empty air. I blinked a few times, before registering the fact Chow – the bar tender – had pulled him away.

He gave me a look before Eric appeared. "What happened?" He asked.

"A human rubbed a little too close to her." Chow said and Eric gave me a look, a look someone gave a small child who ate a cookie just after having dinner- even though they weren't supposed to. Eric didn't say anything else, and then both Eric and Chow left back to their places, leaving me hungry and hurt.

I didn't mean to do that; I had _expected_ anything like that to happen. I should have though, how stupid could you get? There were fang-bangers crawling like lice around here. How could I not think that they would confront me? I was so ashamed that I went to slide out of the bar and hide where no humans would find me. I had hoped Pam would be distracted, but instead, she grabbed me and pulled me back into the club before I even took a full step out.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Sweetheart, that's the last thing I care about." Pam dragged me back in and pointed to the 'employee's only' door, "that will keep you out of trouble." She said before returning back to her work.

I sighed as I walked back through the people before heading into the room. Upon opening the door, I realised it was where I had woken up after Bill had knocked me unconscious. There was a black lamp that stood in the corner and a bookcase that held a collection of non-fiction books.

I believed this to be Eric's office, so I did not pry in his desk, I'd have liked to but Death by the hands of a vampire like Eric? No thank you, I'll pass. Instead, I looked at some of the paintings on the wall. There was one I recognised as a painting of Lilith, a painting of woods and one of war, but the soldiers- no, not soldiers but warriors- were dressed in leathers, fur and armour. It was tormentingly beautiful – as if it were a reminder of something.

"It's an old Norse painting." I flinched at the voice and awkwardly turned around to see Eric standing behind me, looking at what I was. "Though it wasn't painted in it's time, it does capture some aspects of the battles." I looked at him; he said that as though he'd been there. _Had_ he been a Viking? I don't know; Bill didn't talk much about Eric or Pam for that matter. Most I had been told was that they were older then him and that I should be very careful around them.

"It's so life-like though, you can almost fall into it." Eric raised an eyebrow at me and I turned away and looked back at the painting of Lilith. "Why do you have a painting of Lilith?"

"A lot of folk lore says that Lilith was the first vampire- after leaving Adam and the Garden of Eden, mind you this is before Eve was created, Lilith gave birth to a race called the Lamias, evolution over thousands of years created the vampire." I wanted to say to him after he finished, _Thus proving that women are powerful if not more then men_, but decided that he knew that already.

"So then one of the snakes that are climbing her body, is the one that tempted Eve?"

"Yes." He said and I nodded.

"This is the original isn't it?" He shook his head, "Do you have the original."

"No, an art gallery somewhere owns it and refuses to sell to me." He sighed, "but the remake was done by a vampire, so I believe it means more, it's probably an exact duplicate." I smiled at him, but Eric offered nothing as polite in return. "I came in here to relax, but obviously I am unable to, may I ask why you were in here?"

"I'd rather not start another scene." Somehow the edge of tongue wanted to have the word _'sir'_ to the mix at the end of the sentence I spoke. But I cut off my speech before that was able to happen.

"I see." He went behind his desk and sat down in the seat and lent back. Even though I was at a higher level then him, he still had more power he still was in control. "Pam directed you here?" I nodded once. "We're about to begin closing, I'd suggest that next time you decide to hang around Fangtasia, you feed first."

"I've only been on a diet of Tru Blood." He looked at me, _really_ looked at me and once again I felt like a child, only this time, it felt like I was refusing to eat the broccoli. "Bill wishes-"

"I don't care what Bill wishes." He said standing up, "Pam." His voice raised a little and Pam appeared. Though through the music and the chatter of Fangbangers and tourists I don't know how she heard. Vampire hearing must become better with age, or maybe it was the bond they had of Maker and Child.

"Yes?"

"Teach the girl to hunt." Pam looked at me, raised a single eyebrow, looked back at Eric and tried not to laugh. Though I have no idea what she was "not laughing" at. Me? Eric's request? Bill's wishes? Something entirely unrelated? I don't know, and I'm scared to actually know for that fact.

"Now."

"Yes." He became bored again and wavered a hand at us, I assume it meant 'leave. Now' but I wasn't entirely sure.

"Come on girly." She said grabbing my wrist again.


End file.
